TAO is not very hard defined, a fuzzy term. How exactly it relates to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is fuzzy too IMHO. One bacon is the I-TJING as a resource, but the interpretations of this stay open for imagination. For example what is in particular YIN or YANG (as a cornerstone in the matter) is still contradictory between tao-ists. Then again maybe that's good in the end to be not strict and legion religions could benefit of this attitude.
On the downside (?) of this: anyone can say what they want and Mantak takes advantage of this, who is ever going to counter speak and on what bases?
In that vid, I could not escape thinking that he was generalizing and permitting credibility in drift sand arguments. "Thousands of years" always sells like sweet candy
The core essence of Mantak Chia's "promise" is having Chi control/management. With that skill to build a "spiritual vessel" in which you can decide to step into at will, and with that: to soar the realms before place-time-life. Often said as: Dying before you die. So that when the bodily death comes, you have already acquainted and mapped the terrain to come and your vessel is ready. All with one purpose: to not need to incarnate again. So it's a religion too, but one that uses the body as a tool to develop as the base.
Sounds great but of the millions (?) of practitioners who are drawn to it, and they sure benefit greatly the bodily approach, the big "promise" is quite unreachable just like a carrot on a stick and it sure keeps the business running, very good marketing!
It must be painful for him that what he ultimately promises, our works with molecules do a better job. He talks jealous IMO and shoots the competition down, a trade mark of the marketeer. I think he better sticks where he's best in: bodily development a la TAO and the mind will follow along automatically, it's not just fitness in that regard. But he would never be so successful without that carrot-on-a-stick trick.
What stand out in that vid:
* our community here is prudent to associate the dmt experience with real death development processes. Mantak is less prudent and says its the same thing going on. Too much of Strassman comes-in-handy to sell your goods, Mr. Mantak?
* he claims that TCM has all plant knowledge deep in the pocket so it can speak with most authority. Where is the backup of such claim when it comes to ayahuasca?
* What he describes as the plant molecule experience, this does not stroke with my experiences, the poor man comes across rattling and chaotic for that matter. His arguments make him looking not knowing what he talks about, but that is no problem for Mantak as the mob will buy it any or another way.
* what I forgot
I wish him and his schools well, it changed many lives positively, but all this personal CHI mastering did not prevent him from being typical human
